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Expanded Threat Reduction Initiative

THE WHITE HOUSE

Office of
the Press Secretary(Moscow, Russia)

For
Immediate Release

June 4,
2000

Fact Sheet

Expanded Threat Reduction
Initiative

President Clinton proposed the Expanded Threat
Reduction Initiative (ETRI) in January 1999, which significantly increased
funding for cooperation with Russia, Ukraine and other New Independent States
(NIS) to prevent proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and the materials
to make them. The August 1998 economic crisis in Russia and related regional
economic turmoil jeopardized efforts to reduce weapons to desired levels,
impoverished weapons scientists, increased temptations for illicit trafficking
and created new obstacles to military downsizing.

Progress in
Bilateral AssistanceOver the past year, ETRI has provided a solid
framework for expanding and coordinating bilateral and international threat
reduction assistance efforts in Russia and the NIS. For Fiscal Year (FY) 2000,
there is an estimated $888 million available for Departments of Defense, Energy
and State high priority security programs in the NIS under ETRI in four
priority areas:

Military Relocation and Other Security Cooperation -
helping facilitate withdrawals of Russian military forces and equipment from
Georgia and Moldova.

The Administration is seeking increases for ETRI and
related activities in 2001 with a total request of $974 million.

Progress in Multilateral AssistanceThe United States is
urging other nations to increase their NIS security assistance. At the Cologne
Summit in June 1999, the G-8 committed to increase threat reduction assistance
for Russia and other NIS.